It feels so good the Hoya season is here (Repost from last season)

GLIDE

WE ARE GEORGETOWN!

Thinking of so many great Hoya things this season already.  I have a good feeling about this season and lots of confidence knowing the Hoyas have gained plenty from last season.  Although the young Hoyas, have used last season as learning tool and great motivation to get better in all areas.  The Kenner Summer League provided me with what I expected from the Hoyas.   The "fire", was amazing, I saw the fire, even from the freshmen.  Determination, execution, and aggressiveness will see the Hoyas through this year, the basics will be back.  I hope to see the Hoyas all over the hardwood going to get it. 

I mentioned the "The Best Basketball Documentary Ever", Poet Pride.  The documentary showed the Poets practicing with bricks, not basketballs, bricks in arm motion.  You know what was funny?  When I was watching about 9 minutes of the Georgetown's 1984 West Regional against Dayton Ranked #2 in the land.  All the Hoyas hands were on up on defense during the press and in the half court set the whole time I was watching. 

Can you believe on the Hoya press my buddy, Ralph Dalton was being used at the point guard spot on that "great and very successful great Hoya team".   Ralph and I used to play at Candyland Park in Suitland.  I remember one time Ralph said to me smiling after playing a game against him "do you ever miss", I  jokingly laughed it off, and oh, we beat his team too.  Ralph Dalton, was a great kid too.   Almost everyday in the summer when and friend I walked past Ralph's house he was always outside helping his dad do some outside house chores, and I mean everyday, lol, I'd be saying man, that dude is always out in the yard working.

I think this is where the hard work ethic started, and I'm glad it payed off for the Hoyas.  Some good ole fun days on the playground on the game I so dearly love and respect.

David Wingate, my high school JV football teammate at Northern High School in Baltimore ended up transferring to the great Dunbar High School Poets, and  I think was one of Georgetown's greatest defenders and jokesters of the team.  On defense his hands were always up with no problem, I think this came from practicing with those "bricks" in high school practice.  I was awed about that, lol.  Great youtube find for you too Hoyanation and friends, check it out when you get the chance. 

I just took two photos of some Hoya Lids, check em out.  Getting fired up, let's rockkkkk Hoyanation, Glide Hoyas Glide!  Let's Goooooo!!!  LOL!

My good ole buddy David Wingate

Georgetown's Ralph Dalton chats with the Legendary Bill Russell

This person has walked a many miles in these Hoya kicks

And here they are, the roughest, toughest Hoyas in the land!

Poet Pride Documentary

"The greatest high school of all-time"

Gtown Lids!  Let's Goooooo!!!

MJ Gliding

Gtown Lids 2

Future Hoya Markel "Madskillz" Starks

Geogetown Prep's and future Hoya Markel Starks Interview

Glidehoyas

http://collegebasketball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1145847

LEAGUE PREVIEW FROM RIVALS.COM:  BIG EAST! 

HOYA SAXA!

Documentary Poet Pride feature two Hoya greats (Repost from 10-20-09)

GLIDE - PLEASURE

 

A sports documentary, Poet Pride, was released in June.  This documentary is about Baltimore's Dunbar High School Poets, a Legendary Basketball Program we cannot forget.  Noted as the best high school basketball team "ever".  Hoya greats Reggie Williams and David Wingate attended this legendary program and were a big part of this teams success.

Sometimes it's the little things that leave a big impression. Over the course of the nearly two hours that make up the fascinating new documentary Poet Pride, which documents nearly 50 years of Paul Laurence Dunbar High School's men's basketball program, the archival footage that director David Manigault obtained recalls some of the most legendary moments in this storied basketball program's history: a 1973 game versus suburban Washington basketball powerhouse DeMatha High School in which Skip Wise scored 39 points--22 in the fourth quarter--en route to a 85-71 victory. Then there's the 1982 Dunbar trip New Jersey to play top-ranked Camden High on its home court, and the extraordinary Dunbar team--which included Reggie Lewis, Reggie Williams, and a 5' 3" point guard by the name of Tyrone Curtis "Muggsy" Bogues--routed the top team in the country by 29 points. Manigault includes news clippings from legendary games, such as the 1971 match against Mount Saint Joseph's high school that contributed to the formation of the Baltimore Catholic League, or old photos of early Dunbar superstars who played during segregation. And then there's some footage from Dunbar practices, where coach Bob Wade made players run through drills with bricks in each hand so that come fourth quarter they have the arm strength to play tough defense and not lose any wrist action on their jump shots.

But the scenes that cling to the brain are much more ordinary, interviews that Manigault shot on the streets of Baltimore, around Dunbar High School, and in people's homes that feature alumni talking about their team and the players who came up through East Baltimore, players that fed one of the more impressive sporting legacies in the region. Whether it's Dunbar alumnus, former Boston Celtic, and recently appointed Washington Wizards Assistant Coach Sam Cassell sitting in front of Dunbar or the late Reggie Lewis' mother talking about her son's teams, Poet Pride becomes something more than a sports doc. It becomes a collective memory.

"The thing about this project is we're kids from the neighborhood," Manigault says on a weekday afternoon. The low-key 29-year-old grew up in East Baltimore and went to Dunbar--and played basketball--for two years before transferring to St. Frances Academy. Two of his longtime friends also went to Dunbar, producer Robert Foster and executive producer Tommy Polley, the former NFL linebacker who spent time in a St. Louis Rams and a Baltimore Ravens jersey.

Together, the three young men pooled their connections and skills together to start tracking down Dunbar alumni and former players to start piecing together a basketball story that they mostly heard about as fans and young players themselves. "We're all just kids from the neighborhood who connected and admired some of these people that are on this documentary," Manigault says, "just growing up and playing basketball together. We played at Oliver recreation center. And I think that's the driving force in me, Tommy, and Robert doing this project--the legacy and the people, us being able to connect with the people because we were Dunbar [class of] '95."

The project started in 2005 when Manigault was visiting with Foster and Polley. Manigault had moved to Los Angeles that year to pursue a career in film and television, on both sides of the camera--he's appeared in music videos such as Jay-Z's "Roc Boys" and worked as a production assistant on a number of video and commercial projects--when Foster suggested he use his filmmaking skills to do something closer to home. "He was like, 'Yo, David, you need to do the documentary on Dunbar basketball,'" Manigault says. "'I think it'd be dope. Nobody ever done it and we might can do it.'"

The three each started to contact people, tracking down alumni and coaches who could help them tell this story. Polley got in touch with Bob Wade, the Dunbar alumnus who played a few seasons of NFL football before returning to Baltimore to coach Dunbar from 1975-86 en route to becoming the first African-American head basketball coach in the Atlantic Coast Conference when he replaced Charles "Lefty" Driesell at the University of Maryland in 1986. They got in touch with Pete Pompey, who coached Dunbar in the late 1980s and early '90s. And they tracked players who remembered the legendary Bill "Sugar" Cain, the Dunbar coach of the 1950s and '60s who passed in 2000.

"A lot of times when you go into a documentary, you don't know what to expect," Manigault says. "And you know what a lot of the alumni did do? Pinpoint certain dates for us to go back and do research [at the Maryland Historical Society]. Every interview gave us some significant date that we could go back and find publication of and that made it fit altogether. So after we interviewed the alumni and the players, then we kind of dug deeper into what they were saying if we felt that we didn't have the information."

They eventually interviewed more then 20 former players, former coaches, former opposing coaches, and local sports journalists such as Keith Mills to talk about Dunbar's rise from local powerhouse to multiple state championships and national No. 1 rankings, becoming a hotbed for college recruiters and earning a formidable reputation. En route, Poet Pride covers both the success stories--such as Muggsy Bouges and Sam Cassell--and the cautionary tales of players falling prey to drugs, violence, and other facts of life that come with growing up in East Baltimore.

"Just the fact that Bob Wade, Pete Pompey, Sugar Cain, a lot of these guys set a foundation of discipline that some people made it, some didn't, but all had dreams of going to the next level," Manigault says. "That's what this [movie] is about. You have a player like Charlie Hurt, who will tell you the glamorous things about playing basketball and then just living in the city and dealing with drugs. Like he said [in Poet Pride], back in the day, people gravitated to different things. Girls didn't pay attention to him in the street and then they saw him on the court and he's a celebrity. So imagine the adrenaline rush in that--you're a teenager getting attention on the court but also money in the streets. We tap into that."

It's a fact Manigault knows all too well. He went to Frostburg State University to play basketball. But during his freshman year he saw the HBO movie Rebound: The Legend of Earl "The Goat" Manigault, starring Don Cheadle as the late, legendary street basketball player whose involvement with street life and drugs led to prison stints and addiction before his eventual recovery. Earl Manigault was David Manigault's uncle.

"It was like seeing my life flash in front of me if I didn't go the right route," Manigault says. "His story was, like, a legend and he became a convicted drug addict. Growing up in Baltimore City I walked in the same situations as him and could've made the same wrong decisions. It was so scary that I went to the coach after my sophomore season and said I couldn't play basketball anymore. I didn't quit, I'm done. I couldn't do this anymore. I didn't see this taking me to where I need to be. And that was probably the most realistic that I've ever been with myself to know that I'm not NBA-bound, to know that growing up, at a certain age, I was very good, but not anymore."

He turned to his other love growing up, the dramatic arts--a sharp veer away from life on the court. "After my sophomore year I started hanging with the media department and getting into film and TV and acting," he says. "And it was difficult because, you know, a lot of athletes don't hang with the theater department. It happens, but it's rare. So I to go to them after two years of being an athlete and be, like, 'You know, I'd like to start getting back into the theater thing.' And they gave me the opportunity."

Manigault eventually started working with their local news station, providing color commentary for Frostburg's home football and basketball games, before graduating in 2003 with a degree in mass communications and business management. He returned to Baltimore and taught as a substitute teacher for year at Hamilton Middle School before realizing he wanted to try the movie/television thing for real, moving to L.A. in 2004. Since he and Polley and Foster started Poet Pride in 2005, Manigault has split time between L.A. and Baltimore, working on the documentary between West Coast gigs. He returned to Baltimore about a year ago to devote himself to Poet Pride full-time, and also started work on another documentary project, Why Murder?, in which he interviews young people on Baltimore's street about the city's still-insane homicide rate.

But it's Poet Pride that Manigault seems most excited about in conversation, if only because it puts together a story that many people his age and older heard about, but might be lost on newer generations coming up. It's a reminder of what people just like them can achieve.

"Poet Pride is long overdue," Manigault says. "I know what it's like growing up here and I just think the community youth need success stories so that they can know that success is not far away. If you work toward it, it can happen. But you have to work for it. You have to chase it down."

 

Executive Producer of Poet Pride's and former Dunbar Alumni and NFL Player Tommy Polley

Poet Pride

Baltimore City, USA

DUNBAR POET'S BEST HIGH TEAM SCHOOL EVER!

Mugsy Bogues (14) was point guard for Dunbar squad that went 31-0 in 1982-83 and considered the top high school team of all time.  He poses here with (from left) Darryl Wood, Reggie Lewis, Reggie Williams, Tim Dawson, and Jerry White

Baltimore Baketball's Legendary Basketball Court "The Dome"

All the Baltimore greats played here

Reggie Williams, a true Hoya champion

My boy David Wingate Gliding to da tin, yeah Dave, lol

Reggie William's holding up the cup #1 Georgetown Hoyas

http://www.baberuthmuseum.com/

You can go to Store and order a copy of the Poet Pride Documentary here

http://www.baberuthmuseum.com/

more photos to come...Poet Pride, get it, untold, long long long overdue

Lebron's movie coming out, this was way before that film, fo sho, right or wrong, and the Poet's are still considered the greatest high school of all time

The Moment The Game Changed (Repost from 10/29/09)

GLIDE - PLEASURE

GO HOYAS!

10-26-1984

Sitting back watching Michael Jordan's first NBA game can be very entertaining and it's definitely an historic moment in NBA history.  Unfortunately, that game was played against home town squad, the Washington Bullets (Rick Mahorn, Jeff Ruland, the Bruise Brothers).  Looking at Gus Williams take the young, energetic MJ to the hoop was amsuing, Williams ended up way out of bounds on the floor, he tried to take Jordan with with everything he had.  The young MJ fouled him and went over to help the veteran player off of the floor, talking about respect, MJ had it from the very beginning and just took over.  This was played in Chicago, packed house.  A big time classic.  Bulls and MJ win 109-93.  NBAstore.com has the limited authenic Mitchell & Ness MJ #23, 10-26-1984, "The Moment The Game Change" jersey on sale.  I want to get one like now!  

The Moment The Game Changed

Michael Jordans First Game Rookie Authenic Jersey by Mitchell & Ness

Mitchell & Ness

MJ Jersey '84-'85

Great Sunday afternoon at Baltimore's Inner Harbor.  A truly nice day with lady, nice weather, folks seem to be happy and free.  I really just wanted to get something to eat because I was very hungry.  So we decided to go the harbor and get a bite.  I ended up getting some fried chicken wings and some general so's and broccoli.  We sat in a beautiful setting facing the Baltimore Aquarium, The Constellation, Maryland Science Center and of course the water in the harbor.  Some folks were in paddle boats paddling away and enjoying the day and taking full advantage of the lovely weather after a full day of rain the previous day.  Of course while I write I'm thinking about my Hoyas!  Waiting patiently for game day.  Sitting back humming, let's go Hoyasssss!   Hoyanation we all will chanting Hoya Saxa.  When I say Hoya, you say, Saxa, now Let's Goooooo!!! 

WE ARE GEORGETOWN!

Baltimore Aquarium

Hoyanation scatters the court at Midnight Madness, a preview of what's to come

HOYANATION ROCKS!

It's time to go to work!

Team Hoyas

http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2010/10/26/kyle-singler-headlines-fanhouses-preseason-basketball-all-ameri/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Some old Hoya newspaper clippings from the 2007 Big East Championship and Final Four

I was thinking of the 2006-2007 Big East Championship and the Final Four.  I decided to go through some old Hoya newspaper clippings that I kept from the Washington Post and Washington Times.  Going through these newspaper clippings brings back lots of Hoya memories and just think it wasn't that long ago.  As I kept going through the clippings a rush of hypeness overcame me, and I was thinking, "hey, we can do this again, and do it better this time".  I'm always hopeful optimistic and very supportive of the Hoyas every year and it gives me great pleasure to represent them in every great way I can.  I have many clippings so I hope I don't bore you.  Hoyanation, let's raise up and support the Hoyas because....WE ARE...GEORGETOWN!

Georgetown Hoyas Fans Storm M Street, DC after Beating UNC

Final Four 2009 We Are The Final Four

Welcome to The Jungle-Guns N Roses UNC vs. Hoyas

Hoyas victory over UNC Student Celebration

Where Amazing Happens Georgetown Edition

Lovely Day-NEG

It's a Lovely Hoya Day! D.C. Is Our Playground

A Glidehoyas special to the Hoya Bigs in the paint

Go JuJu Go

Experience Unlimited

"Greg Monroe is gone!!!  He's been gone!!  The Hoyas will miss his great passing ability. Who's gonna be the man in middle?  This is the first time in many years Georgetown will be without a legitimate star center". 

I've heard and read it all from so many people and articles in the press.  On twitter I said to one writer, "Julian Vaughn will surprise lots of people this season, and his response was, "he's no Greg Monroe, Roy Hibbert or Jeff Green".  I could have took what he said in another way, but I didn't.  I didn't want to stoop to his level, so, my response back to him was, "you're right"!  He's Julian Vaughn and players are made in the off season, with hard work players develop".  I know when players have a great work ethic they get better.  These are some of  the things I learned from the best as a coach.

I know these sportswriters have to have good stories to write, but hearing all of these things just really made my blood boil, and I think some of it is disrespectful on behalf of our center Julian Vaughn and Henry Sims.  For every negative things folks are saying about our center position I hope he takes it as a motivational challenge and proves to himself and everybody else, "hey I'm the man in middle".  Another words take the negative and turn it into a positive.   

I know Julian "JuJu" Vaughn does not feed into the hype because ever since last season's end with Monroe's departure Julian figured he probably be the big man in the middle one day soon, and Henry "Big Hank" Sims could play this position this season.  There's so many things you could do with both bigs.  So, in preparation for the future Julian and Henry have been working very hard on their games with strength, condition and mental preparation for this upcoming season.  These two Hoyas' know what it means to wear the name Georgetown on their chests. They know about the Hoya tradition. 

The famed James "Jabbo" Kenner Summer League" gave me great preview of what's to come especially with out bigs.  Both Julian Vaughn and Henry Sims had outstanding outings the Kenner League action.  I was able to see every game, every move from both players.  The things I looked for and saw was heart, strength, hustle, communication, leadership, offense, shot blocking, energy, aggressiveness and great reboundng on both ends of the floor.  Julian's passing has improved a great deal also just for the naysayer's.  Julian has been watching Greg Monroe's passing for two years.  Go figure! 

Hoyanation and friends, the folks that were there to witness this came to be happy campers that's for sure, lol.  I was cheezing hard knowing that the Hoyas will be just fine. For the folks that weren't there (sportswriters, and haters) you missed out on a nice preview so I'm giving it to you now.  Julian and Henry were both on different teams, but led their summer league teams to the playoffs.

Just think, I didn't even mention the fine summer league Nate Lubick, Moses Ayegba and Jerelle Benimon had.  Jerrelle Benimon was the lone Hoya on his team Premier Athletics, his team wasn't all that good, but the hardworking sophomore got better each game and proved to me he is ready!  Have ya'll ever see Jerrelle and Nate chew gum?  LOL!  Put it this way, I would hate to be in the interior with those two in the gam together.  Those Hoya dudes are Ford tough. 

I'm telling you now, they really better watch out for Moses, because as long as he stays out foul trouble the opposers will be troubled. They really will!  Once Moses grasps the ball you won't get it from him, he's just tooooooo strong.  I call him Moses "Vice Grip" Ayegba.  Moses has great strength and will get better with his offensive skills, but you'll definitely see some flashes and some hard put back dunks and you'll be saying, "watch ya head"! 

Well, I know this only a blog, but I just a had a lot on my mind about our bigs and just wanted write about it, so I could get it out of my system.  If I can think of anything else I'll be writig again Hoyanation and friends.  It's been good and always great to bleed blue and gray because, "WE ARE GEORGETOWN"!

GLIDE

Kent aka Glidehoyas and Julian "JuJu" Vaughn